Second Edition Launching September 29, 2026
This is the First Edition. The expanded Intentional Practice Design™ edition is coming.
The current edition remains available, but The Business Plan Playbook, Second Edition substantially expands the original framework and helps readers build a Living Practice Plan™ grounded in Intentional Practice Design.
Already own this edition? Join the Second Edition list and receive the free Business Plan to Living Practice Plan Conversion Kit.
The Business Plan Playbook
How to Build a Business Plan that Works for Lawyers, Mediators, and Dispute Resolution Entrepreneurs
A practical, professional-grade business plan you will actually use, designed around how a modern practice really runs.
What this Playbook is.
Traditional business plans were built for factories and franchises, not for professionals.
The Business Plan Playbook walks you through a living document that captures who you serve, how you deliver, what you charge, and where the practice is going, in language and structure that fits your work.
The question this Playbook helps you answer.
Question
How will you decide what your practice becomes next?
Default
Keep what was inherited. Hope it still fits.
React
Adjust under pressure. Repeat each year.
Design
Decide on purpose. Build what fits the life.
Core concepts.
Plan the practice you want
Begin with the life and the work, then build the business around them.
A document you reuse
Living sections you revisit quarterly, not a binder you write once.
Numbers you understand
Financial planning that fits a professional services practice.
Table of contents.
- 01Why most practice business plans fail
- 02Designing the practice on purpose
- 03Service architecture and offers
- 04Pricing, revenue, and margin
- 05Operations, team, and systems
- 06The 12-month execution plan
What you get with the book.
- Modular business plan template
- Financial planning worksheets
- AI Workshop: drafting your plan in a weekend
Where to Buy
The Business Plan Playbook is available now.
Available through the American Bar Association bookstore and major online booksellers. For direct or bulk orders, or if you have trouble locating a copy, contact admin@susaneguthrie.com.
Continue exploring the Practice Playbook Series.
Book 01
The Flat Fee Playbook
A Step-by-Step Guide for Professionals to Break Free from Billable Hour Burnout
OpenBook 02
The Thought Leadership Playbook
How to Get Known, Build Trust, and Grow a Profitable Practice
OpenBook 04
The Client Experience Playbook
Designing the Journey from First Contact to Lifelong Advocate
OpenTake this Playbook from reading to practice.
The Practice Accelerator is where readers turn the frameworks inside the Playbooks into monthly implementation with live guidance, practical resources, accountability, and community. Enrollment is always open.
$99/month. Cancel anytime. Join at any time and begin immediately.